Maxim Film Critic Changes Quote for CBS and Miramax

Non-whore Arizona Daily Star film critic and friend of the blog, Phil Villarreal, points us to a Variety article exposing Maxim film critic Pete Hammond for allowing CBS to alter the content of his blurb for the Miramax film Hannibal in the name of “family” entertainment. From Philmguy:

Maxim’s Pete Hammond embarrassed himself and all other film critics by playing along with the Weinstein Company’s finagling over a TV commercial quote blurb. According to a story in the Daily Variety, the studio planned on using Hammond’s quote “the most terrifying thriller of the new year.”

This blurb is awful and quote-whorish to begin with – just how many terrifying thrillers can be released in the first five weeks of the year anyway? But what happened next is even worse. Big boss Harvey Weinstein made the admen change the commercial, which ran during the Super Bowl, excising the word “terrifying” because it might offend audiences. (Huh?) So the Weinstein Co. asked Hammond to change his quote to “the year’s most electrifying thriller,” not only taking out the offending “terrifying” adjective but also “the new year” reference.

Weinstein addressed the issue while speaking at a panel discussion:

“Les (Leslie Moonves, CBS) said he was concerned about the word ‘terrifying’ given how many families were watching the game, and so we called (Hammond) and asked if we could change it to ‘the year’s most electrifying thriller’ and he said, ‘OK,’ and that’s how it ran.”

Down with quote-whores, we say. They’re almost as bad as floggers.—MEGHANN MARCO